Aug 14, 2008 - 04:07:11 CDT
Volunteers in white shirts spread across the Bismarck-Mandan area on Wednesday, leaving a trail of freshly painted buildings and spruced up landscapes in their wake.The volunteers came together to better their community as part of the 9th annual Missouri Slope Areawide United Way Day of Caring.
Brenda Stone, marketing director for United Way, said 417 volunteers signed in, "but I think more than that have shown up."
Teams of volunteers packed the Mandan Community Center for breakfast and a brief program before hitting the road to one of the 20 projects at 13 sites.
As part of the program, United Way announced its fundraising goal of $1,375,000 for its 2008 community-wide campaign. The Day of Caring is the kick off for the campaign.
At the Missouri Valley YMCA in Bismarck, volunteers from Bobcat lent their hands and machines to help spread new sand on the playground.
Brenda Wray, the volunteer team captain and an employee at the YMCA, said the work was long over due and the YMCA appreciated Bobcat's donation of time and equipment.
"Trying to do this on our own would be impossible," Wray said. This is the third year the YMCA has participated in the Day of Caring. Previous projects involved painting the interior of the building.
Beth Schatz Kaylor of Bobcat said the match was perfect, and was glad Bobcat could use its resources to help out.
"We were happy to bring in some machines we build and use them for the betterment of the community," she said over the beeping of a dump truck full of new sand for the playground.
She said, with their unique abilities, the sand project was perfect for both the YMCA and the volunteers, who are familiar with the equipment used.
"It's a great fit," she said.
Just down Washington Street from the YMCA, another large group of people were busily landscaping at Youthworks.
Youthworks, a center for teens, was in need of work that it just didn't have the resources to do itself, said Elizabeth Meidinger, who works as a volunteer at the center through AmeriCorps.
Meidinger, a junior at the University of Mary studying social work, was leading a team of between 30 and 35 volunteers spread out between the main facility and Youthworks-owned apartments.
Amy Jo Johnson and Cindy Griffin, who both work for the Mid American Credit Union Association, and Kathryn Korynta, who works at Youthworks, were pulling up old tarps under landscaping rocks, as a group of teens sifted and cleaned the rocks to be replanted.
Johnson and Griffin said the Day of Caring was a great opportunity to help out their community.
"It's a great way to give back," Griffin said as she tugged at a dirty, ragged black tarp.
"And we appreciate it," Korynta was quick to reply, as she piled dirt and rocks into a wheelbarrow.
Meidinger said she was amazed at the number of volunteers that turned out to give their time, many of whom took the day off work to get their hands dirty to clean up their community.
"It always surprises me because you don't think that this many people would be willing to help."
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